Palace Bookends

Copyright Tan and Trev 2005

One of the first scenes to greet us entering the palace grounds was (above) this series of statues. This is taken just inside the gates on a path leading from the pay-booth to the compounds.

Built in 1866 by King Norodom, the palace officially opened on 14 February 1870. It faces east, thus complying with the sacred geographic tradition of Cambodia.

As Tan noted from her extensive pre-trip research of travel guides, much of the palace is relatively young concrete and timber - with many areas needing to be restored after damage sustained through wars and civil strife.

Near the conclusion of our walk through the Grand Palace compound we find this miniature replica (below) of Angkor Wat. It is a small taste of what lies ahead for us in this trip - as we were to see Angkor Wat later in the week.



Copyright Tan and Trev 2005